The Lady's Awakening, Italian school of the 18th century

Pietro Longhi (Venice, 1701–1785) Circle
The Lady’s Awakening

Oil on canvas 73 x 56 cm. - Framed 85 x 69 cm.

Anyone wishing to learn about the social life of 18th-century Venice—stepping into the homes of nobles and the bourgeoisie to understand how they spent their days, what their activities were, and what their pastimes entailed—should immerse themselves in the paintings of the Venetian Pietro Longhi (Venice, 1701 – 1785), the most important genre painter of 18th-century Venice.

The work presented here is based on one of his creations, “The Lady’s Awakening,” painted by Longhi around the mid-18th century—a scene that captures with irony and liveliness a glimpse of daily life among the high aristocracy of the time, preserved in various versions and derivatives across public and private collections.

The depiction includes all the elements that give Longhi’s works their timeless charm: elegant settings, a touch of humor, and, above all, a suggestive and slightly daring subject.

The painting depicts an elegant young woman waking up in her boudoir, as she prepares to rise from bed, flirtatiously addressing the viewer, while her maids help her dress and assist her with her toilet, preparing a bath for her in a silver basin.

The atmosphere of luxury and leisure is reinforced by the figure of a gentleman, in a green silk dressing gown and golden slippers, reclining in a chair in the corner as he gazes at her. Although he holds the morning paper in his hand, his attention is clearly distracted by his attractive wife, who in turn is perfectly aware that she is being watched.

Neither of them seems in any hurry to leave the comfort of the bedroom for the outside world: the gentleman’s black cloak and wig rest on their stands in the background, and his stockings slip lazily down his legs.

Although the original painting, once thought lost, reappeared at a Christie’s auction (New York, October 14, 2021, lot 51 - https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6338021) after being acquired by the French collector John Grou in the early 19th century and brought to the United States, the subject became famous thanks to the engraving by Charles-Joseph Flipart.

The preparatory drawings for the painting are preserved at the Correr Museum in Venice, while a valuable version attributed to Longhi’s circle is housed at Palazzo Leoni Montanari in Vicenza.

His innovative and original artistic style was highly acclaimed, so much so that it spawned a host of imitators and followers: in Venice, the great Francesco Guardi often painted interiors in the Longhi style, as did his brother Gianantonio, as evidenced by the works preserved at the Museo del Settecento in Cà Rezzonico, Venice.

Within the same circle, we find several painters of Venetian origin: the enigmatic Maestro del Ridotto and Maestro dei Riflessi, Andrea Pastò, Giuseppe de Gobbis, and the Veronese Andrea Boscarati, all intent on satisfying the abundant demand for Longhian-style painting in the city and beyond.